Trend Indicators

CFED Assets & Opportunity Scorecard

Liquid Asset Poverty by Race

Definition

Ratio of the liquid asset poverty rate of white, non-Hispanic households to households of color (Black or African-American; Asian; Hispanic or Latino; other races), 2010.

Calculated by dividing the higher value by the lower value, i.e., the liquid asset poverty rate of households of color divided by white households.

A ratio of 1 indicates perfect equality; the higher the ratio, the greater the inequality. For example, the liquid asset poverty rate for households of color in Illinois is 2.2 times higher than for white households.

Data are point estimates produced from a national survey with relatively small samples for some states, which can result in imprecise estimates and ranks. States are not ranked on this measure due to insufficient data at the state level. For more information on how we measured precision and to download margin of error data for each state, see here.

Description

This measure describes the disparity in liquid asset poverty between white households and households of color. Liquid asset poverty is significantly higher for households of color, indicating that these households are more vulnerable to a financial crisis and are less able to meet emergency financial needs. For example, households of color in Maryland are 2.2 times more likely to be liquid asset poor than white households.